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MISSOURI 




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PHILADELPHIA: 

B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

1891. 



MISSOURI 






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PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 
1891. 



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Copyright, 1891, by J. B. Lippincott Company. 



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MISSOTJRI 



Missouri, one of the central states, and the fifth in 
order of population, of the American Union, lies be- 
tween 36° and 40° 30' N. lat and between 89° 2' and 
95° 51' W. long., and occupies a commanding position 
in the Mississippi valley. It is 280 miles long from 
north to south, and gradually increases in width from 
208 miles in the north to 312 miles in the south. 
Area, 68,735 ^q. m., or nearly that of Scotland, Ireland, 
and Wales. The Missouri River divides the state into 
two unequal sections, designated * North Missouri' 
and * South Missouri' respectively. That part of the 
state lying north of the Missouri River is generally 
level or slightly undulating, consisting of rolling 
prairies and level bottom lands, diversified with a 
luxuriant growth of timber along the streams. The 
southern section has a more diversified surface, deriv- 
ing its distinctive features from the Ozark Mountains, 
which cover about one-half of this division. These 
mountains enter the state from north-western Arkansas, 
and extend across the state to the Mississippi River ; 
throughout the greater part of their length they may 
very properly be classed as tablelands, reaching their 



4 MISSOURI. 

highest altitude (1500 feet) in Greene and Webster 
counties, and gradually breaking up into narrow ridges, 
spurs, knobs, and peaks farther east. The entire 
eastern limit of the state is washed by the Mississippi 
River, with a water front of 560 miles, while the 
Missouri River forms the boundary from the extreme 
north-west corner to Kansas City, and thence across 
the state to the Mississippi, with which it unites just 
above St Louis. Many smaller tributaries flow into 
these two majestic rivers — into the Mississippi the 
Fabius, Salt, Cuivre, Meramec, St Francis, Current, 
and Black ; and into the Missouri the Nodaway, Platte, 
Grand, and Chariton on the north, and the Osage and 
Gasconade on the south. The general drainage of the 
surface is indicated by long gentle slopes toward the 
Mississippi and Missouri rivers, except in the extreme 
south-west, where the streams flow into the Arkansas. 
The climate is genial, agreeable, and healthful. All 
the extremes of heat and cold peculiar to this latitude 
are experienced ; but the mean annual temperature is 
about 54°, and the mean average rainfall is 41 inches. 
Missouri is pre-eminently an agricultural state. Of 
the 44,000,000 acres of her land surface more than 
42,000,000 are adapted to agricultural and horti- 
cultural purposes. The soils are rich, deep, and 
unsurpassed in variety and productiveness. The prin- 
cipal crops are Indian corn (200,000,000 bushels), 
oats (30,000,000 bushels), wheat (28,000,000 bushels), 
potatoes, rye, barley, hemp, flax, cotton, sorghum, 
buckwheat, and hay (1,600,000 tons). Of tobacco a 
fair crop is 15,000,000 lb.; and orchard products are 
grown in great abundance. In the deeade 1880-90 



MISSOURI. 



5 



there was a great increase in the number of grazing 
animals, though sheep are not largely raised. The 
immense quantities of dressed beef and pork shipped 
annually to home and foreign markets are constantly 
increasing. 

The mineral resources of Missouri are exceedingly 
rich, comprising extensive coalfields, that cover more 
than 20,000 sq. m.; also vast deposits of iron ore, lead, 
and zinc; while copper, cobalt, nickel, fireclays, fine 
marble, granite, and limestone of excellent quality 
abound in different localities. The coalfields are 
capable of yielding 100,000 tons of bituminous coal 
a day for several thousand years. The supply of iron 
ore is excellent in quality and inexhaustible in quan- 
tity ; but the richest deposits yet worked are confined 
chiefly to two counties in the south-east — Iron and St 
Frangois. Yet the iron belt south of the Missouri 
River, and extending from the Mississippi River on 
the east to Osage River on the west, covers an area 
of 25,000 sq. m. Excellent transportation facilities are 
afforded by the Mississippi River along the eastern bor- 
der of the state, and by the Missouri River across the 
state; and the railroads are nearly 7000 miles in length. 
Missouri returns two senators and 14 representatives 
to congress. The general assembly (34 state senators 
and 140 representatives) meets every two years. The 
public-school system is very complete and very effi- 
cient, embracing the state university, the school of 
mines, four state normal schools, and city, town, 
village, and country schools. All public schools are 
supported by state appropriations, local taxation, and 
interest on the state, county, and township school 



6 MISSOURI. 

funds. Missouri has a larger permanent school fund 
than any other state of the American Union. The 
corps of teachers number 15,000. In addition to 
the state system of education there are 30 private 
academies, seminaries, denominational colleges, and 
universities, several of which are of a high order of 
excellence. 

The metropolis of Missouri is St Louis (pop. 460,- 
357), one of the greatest railroad, manufacturing, and 
commercial centres in the entire country. Next come 
Kansas City (132,043), St Joseph, Springfield, Hanni- 
bal, Sedalia, Chillicothe, Mexico, Moberly, Booneville, 
Nevada, Marshall, Kirksville, CarroUton, Lexington, 
and Carthage, all thriving cities. Pop. (1820) 20,845 \ 
(1840) 140,455; (i860) 1,182,012; (1880) 2,168,380; 
(1890) 2,677,080. 

History. — Missouri was first explored by De Soto 
in 1541-42, and in 16/3 Marquette and his followers 
visited its eastern border. It formed part of the 
* Louisiana Purchase' (see Louisiana), the northern 
portion of which in 1805 was organised as the ' District 
of Louisiana.' It was not till 1812 that a part of this 
territory took the name of Missouri. In 1821 Missouri 
was admitted into the Union, but the present limits of 
the state were not established till 1836. Its admission 
was preceded by a long and bitter political controversy 
between the representatives of the North and South, 
the former resisting its entrance as a slave-state. The 
discussion resulted in the famous ' Missouri Com- 
promise,' under which compact it was agreed that 
slavery should be for ever excluded from all that part 
of Louisiana north of 36° 30' lat., except Missouri. 



MISSOURI. 



7 



During the four years of the great civil war the citizens 
of Missouri suffered terribly. The people were nearly 
equally divided in sentiment, and both sides prepared 
for the conflict. The state furnished 109,111 men for 
the Union army, and about three-fourths as many for 
the other side. Death and the destruction of property 
everywhere prevailed. But when the war ended the 
people commenced to build up the waste places ; 
improvements were extended in all directions, bitter 
feelings soon died away, and the state entered upon an 
era of singular prosperity. 



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